A Brief Visit
by jacksparrow589
Summary: Post-manga. On their way to Eastern, Roy and Riza stop to visit with Ed and Winry. Some things have changed, and some things never will. In the end, though, it's all okay. Oneshot. Rated for one or two bad words.


**A/N: Believe it or not, I don't really have a song for this one.**

Roy peered over Riza's shoulder cautiously. Elena blinked up at him with some of the largest and most vivid green eyes he'd ever seen on a child.

"She has your eyes, Winry", he announced, only the tiniest tilting up of the corners of his mouth giving him away.

Ed sputtered for a moment, then mumbled something about how Roy was just jealous that any hypothetical kids of his would never be able to even have blue eyes, _and serve you right, you bastard_.

As if on cue, both Winry and Riza sighed, Winry rolling her eyes and Riza just closing them in a fair approximation of "why do I continue to put up with this?"

Max toddled into the room. "Daddy? Why you purple?"

Ed took a deep breath, but Winry swiftly cut him off with, "Because Mr. Mustang is teasing him, Max."

Max turned his completely golden gaze on Roy. "That's naughty."

Roy had the grace to look ashamed. "Sorry, Fullmetal."

Strangely, he didn't look particularly sorry.

Ed looked at Riza pleadingly, but he wasn't getting any quarter if the small smile she couldn't quite hide was anything to go off of. Fair enough—he was an adult now and could certainly protect himself.

"So, how's Al these days?" Roy asked, settling onto a loveseat and gesturing for Riza to take the other cushion.

Ed took Elena from Winry and sat, bouncing his daughter on his knee a bit while she cooed happily. "He's a freer spirit than I ever was. It's kind of surprising. I haven't been more than a day away since Max came along." He shrugged, looked at Winry, who grinned at him, and smiled back tenderly. "I've stopped being reckless, I guess."

"Al was never reckless, though," Riza said softly.

Roy snorted faintly, Winry covered a chukle, and Ed frowned. "I see the Colonel's bad habits are rubbing off on you."

Roy instantly straightened, looking more than a little indignant. "You know I'm a General now, Fullmetal."

For once, Ed was the one smirking, but there was a bit of a longing in his voice. "Well, I'm no longer a state alchemist, so it would seem we're at an impasse, then."

The change in Roy was swift. Genuinely contrite, he said simply. "My apologies, Ed."

Ed shrugged again. "Accepted."

Elena had wriggled loose from her father's hands and had crawled across the room to where Roy was sitting. Now, she tugged on Roy's pants in an effort to pull herself to her feet. Roy looked unsure of what to do for just a moment, but lowered a hand, letting his fingers form hooks for Elena to pull herself up on. She was able to stand for a few seconds before promptly plopping back onto her bottom. She stared up at Roy quizzically.

"Looks like she inherited her parents' curiosity," Riza murmured, breaking the ice.

"Yeah, well, that's no accounting for taste," Ed grumbled good-naturedly as Elena finally decided smiling at Roy was her best choice.

"You can pick her up," Winry offered. "She usually doesn't react this way to strangers. I'd like to see what she does."

Back in familiar territory, Roy grinned. He'd held Elysia a few times when she had been small. He scooped Elena up and tried to settle her in his lap, but she squirmed almost immediately and crawled over into Riza's lap. Riza absently bounced her knees while Elena reached for the buttons on Riza's blouse. Riza gently scooted her out of range. Elena fussed for a moment, then pushed herself off Riza's lap entirely, allowing Riza to gently lower her to the floor before she crawled over to play with her brother, who had been quietly stacking blocks in one corner of the room.

Winry looked slightly astonished. "She wails when it's anyone other than Al and Granny."

Ed swiveled around. "Maybe it's the photos?" He frowned for a moment. "Why _do_ we have photos of you, anyway?"

Winry mock-glared at him. "I apologize for Ed's lack of manners. Would either of you like tea?"

Riza raised her hand just a bit, "That would be wonderful, Winry."

Roy shook his head. "No, thank you."

Winry disappeared into the kitchen, and Ed grinned a bit devilishly. "So…"

"Ed, don't you dare…" Winry warned from the kitchen.

"You two married yet?"

"Ed!" Winry's exclamation was just shy of a shriek. "No amount of apologizing or tea is going to make up for you…"

Roy looked a bit lost for words. Riza simply raised her eyebrows. "Edward, I believe that the last time personal questions were asked that involved me, you spat tea all over my dog."

Ed went slightly wide-eyed and gulped, and Roy turned to look at her with mild surprise. "Do tell, Lieutenant."

Winry poked her head out from the kitchen. "Ed, do you ever _not_ cause trouble for her?"

Ed looked at Riza pleadingly. But her face remained nigh on unreadable. "It's not exactly a state secret, Ed." She looked to Winry. "I don't think it ever was."

Winry crossed her arms and leaned back against the door frame, smiling mischievously. "Ah, I see."

Ed would have thought Roy would be ready to make some crack at him, but the older man looked more contemplative than anything else. But before he could ask, there was a clatter as the blocks Max had been building with fell over. The kids chorused "Oops…" and something that sounded like "Uh-oh…"

Winry started over to the play area, but the kettle started to whistle. "Oh…"

Riza stood. "I'll take care of the tea, Winry."

Winry smiled gratefully. "Thanks." She busied herself with getting the kids to clean the area.

Ed sat down on the couch next to Roy. "I expected you to dig at me, there. And I know it's not just that we're adults and more mature than that, because that hasn't stopped us before. What happened back there?"

Roy looked at Ed steadily. "She actually told me the story already. I just don't particularly like to be reminded of that time."

Ed grimaced. "Yeah…" He looked down at his hands. "Well, we're all here, aren't we?"

Roy nodded. "But I know that she also told you about our history. You would know then that I made a promise, and I'm pretty sure you know what that meant, being a man of integrity yourself."

"She did it of her own volition," Ed retorted quietly. "I'd know better than anyone—trying to take someone else's sins and burdens on yourself just doesn't work." He thought for a moment. "I know how she looks at you, Mustang. It's the same way you look at her, even after going through hell together. You can't change the past, so you need to move forward."

Roy grinned ashamedly. "Lecturing me again, Ful—Ed?"

Ed clapped Roy on the shoulder and stood, as Riza had returned. "Well, when you stop needing them, I'll stop giving them."

Riza sat down back next to him, and her only reaction to Roy laying his arm across the back of the sofa and letting his hand fall onto her shoulder was to relax back into it. She turned to look at him, took a sip of her tea, and merely raised her eyebrows, but the concern was plain on her face. Roy managed to smile at her. She didn't look entirely placated, but wasn't going to press it at the moment.

Winry looked back and glanced from her husband to the pair on the love seat. She hadn't heard much of Ed and Roy's conversation, but she got the feeling that her conversation with Riza all those years ago, along with Ed's description of his visit to their hospital room after that final battle told her all she needed to know. She picked up Max, who was looking tired. Elena crawled back over to Ed and tugged on his hand. He picked her up and settled her head on his shoulder. Almost immediately, the infant had fallen asleep.

Roy surprised them all by being candid. "I envy what you have here, Ed."

Ed blinked. "I can't… really imagine you as a father."

Roy waved a hand. "Not that. You have a simple, easy happiness. Some days, I wish I hadn't dreamed this whole scheme up."

Ed snorted. "Better you than me—that's all I'm going to say." He grinned a bit. "Though if you quit now, you're not getting your money back."

"You say that like I need your money."

"Well, you whined about giving it to me."

"As a state alchemist, you were making more than enough!"

Ed flapped the hand not holding Elena at Roy. "Who carries change anymore?"

"People who know they're going to need to bail out the brats who don't," Roy retorted.

Ed began to retort loudly, if not entirely angrily.

"Shhh!" Winry had a hand over Max's ears. The toddler was stirring. "Unlike you, Ed, Max doesn't sleep like the dead."

Riza finished her tea and set the cup on the saucer. "We should probably be on our way, anyway. We're expected in Eastern soon, and we should catch the next train." She walked over to Ed and placed her hand on his shoulder. "It was good to see you again, Ed. I'm glad to see you like this."

Ed grinned broadly back. "My pleasure, Lieutenant Hawkeye."

Riza made her way over to Winry. "Don't let him give you too much trouble."

"I never do." Winry extended her hand and shook Riza's briefly. "You know you're always welcome here."

Riza tugged on her coat.

Roy stood and walked over to Winry first. "Always a pleasure, Winry. You take care."

Winry smiled and nodded, briefly taking the hand Roy extended.

Ed stood as Roy moved over to him. "General."

"Ed."

Ed nearly put a hand up as if to salute, but dropped it halfway. "I guess we'll add that last salute to the list of things I owe you."

Roy smirked. "Digging yourself further into my debt may not be the wisest move."

Ed stared levelly at the general. "Strangely enough, I trust you."

Roy straightened. "Strong words."

"Don't make me regret them."

Roy nodded and clasped Ed's outstretched hand. He gestured to the sleeping Elena. "I still think she looks more like Winry, though." He chuckled quietly as Ed seethed.

Ed and Winry followed them out onto the porch and waved as Roy and Riza walked off.

Winry laid her head on Ed's unoccupied shoulder, and he tilted his head to nuzzle her. "I really do hope they find this happiness," he murmured.

Winry smiled. "I think that in their own way, they already have."

Ed squinted and could just make out that Roy and Riza's hands were intertwined.

A truly joyous grin spread across his face. "Yeah, I guess they have."

**A/N: So, I didn't write this all in one take. I wrote the first 150 or so words a year and a half before I wrote the rest. I knew that I wanted to write this same sort of story at that time, but I just didn't have the time. See my last few stories for the excuses as to why.**

**I really love writing this family. They're a lot of fun. Royai is still great and still my favorite—don't get me wrong—but Ed was the main character, and so getting into his head, especially after the development he went through, is a fun new challenge in and of itself for me.**

**One more thing—Elena's eyes. I totally get that gold and blue making green is **_**not**_** how eye color works. My justification is that Elena's got some of Ed's gold flecked in with Winry's blue, and in such a way that it makes her eyes look green. The colors will get more distinct as she grows. My own eyes are mostly my dad's hazel, but they're very definitely ringed with my mom's blue.**

**Anyway, let me know what you think, as usual!**


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